The use of the anti-viral medication Valganciclovir in CMV (Cytomegalovirus) negative patients who receive CMV positive liver grafts

What is CMV?

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common infection and many of the livers donated for transplant will have come from individuals who have had this infection in the past (CMV positive liver graft).

If a patient who has not had a previous CMV infection (CMV negative) receives a liver from a donor who has had CMV infection (CMV positive liver graft), this is known as a CMV mismatch and there is a significant risk that the patient will acquire CMV infection and become ill. Therefore they require a course of anti-viral medication (Valganciclovir) to prevent this happening.

How is the Trust doing?

Your browser does not support this graph; however, you can still view the statistics in the table below.

Higher percentage indicates better performance.

The Trust is performing consistently well against this indicator. Performance will continue to be monitored to ensure it remains high.

Why is this indicator important?

Valganciclovir is an antiviral medication used routinely in Cytomegalovirus (CMV) mismatched patients to prevent them developing CMV infection and disease.

If CMV negative patients go on to develop CMV after their liver transplant, this can make them very unwell and lead to a hospital admission for administration of intravenous (IV) antibiotics and possibly death.

The highest risk of developing CMV is in the first three months after transplant.

How do we measure this indicator?

The indicator is measured by the percentage of CMV negative patients receiving a CMV positive liver graft who were prescribed Valganciclovir after liver transplantation and as part of their drugs to take at home.

Where does the data come from?

The data for the indicator is compiled from the liver database and the Trust’s Prescribing and Information Communication System (PICS).